NCAA Basketball: Ranking the Elite 8 teams in 2022 NCAA Tournament

Mar 24, 2022; San Francisco, CA, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Wendell Moore Jr. (center) and forward AJ Griffin (right) reacts after a play against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half in the semifinals of the West regional of the men's college basketball NCAA Tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

3 of 8

NCAA Tournament Arkansas Razorbacks Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Arkansas Razorbacks

The Razorbacks got a pair of double-digit seeds on its path to the Sweet 16 in Vermont and New Mexico State. Yet both games turned into a nailbiter for the favorites, winning both games by a combined margin of nine points.

They were a clear underdog against No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga in the West Region, with not many thinking Arkansas could pull out the win unless JD Notae went off. And technically, he did…. when it comes to shooting attempts. He had 29 total but only made nine, scoring 21 points total.

Instead, the supporting cast did their job in other ways. Jaylin Williams had a double-double and more than held his own against Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga. Trey Wade had 15 points and made a trio of three-pointers in an outstanding effort, while Au’Diese Toney and others helped get Holmgren in foul trouble and eventually took him out of the game.

An argument can be made that the Razorbacks haven’t played their best game to date and yet still is back to the Elite 8 for the second straight season. They now have Duke up next for a spot in the Final Four and they’ll need more from everyone outside of Notae to get the job done. Let’s see if they can get some three-pointers to go down to keep up.

Home/NCAA Basketball News